Plastic

Dear Friends,

I just spent the last ten minutes unwrapping all our produce from the plastic it was in.  I tend to think of myself as environmentally friendly so China's love of plastic is a bit much for me.  I am working on finding some more earth friendly places to shop and patiently waiting for my cloth bags to arrive in the shipment.

Love,
H

Roses

Dear Friends,

I have been feeling a bit under the weather the last few days with "Shanghaitis", my first encounter with the pollution related respiratory issues.  My sweet husband decided to get me some beautiful long stemmed roses to cheer me up. Each was individually wrapped in cellophane and then the entire bunch was wrapped as well.  (Sorry I missed the shot of that.)  The beauty of the flowers almost masks the plastic starfish cup I had to use as a vase.  Looking forward to the day our shipment arrives and I have 6 vases to choose from!

Love,
H

Tory Burch

Dear Friends,

We spent some time the other weekend checking out one of the markets near the school.  As we left the US, our friend Stacy wanted us to keep a look out for Tory Burch bags. Guess we can check that off our list.

Love,
H & B

New Classroom

Dear Friends,

Here it is. . . my new classroom.  Got in with less than a week before kids arrived.  YIKES!!! Check back in  a few weeks to see how it is coming along.

Love,
H

Pizza Delivery

Dear Friends,

I was out for a walk the other day and came across a Papa Johns. They have quite a delivery fleet.

Love,
H

Corn Juice?

Dear Friends,

Saw this in the juice isle at the grocery store.  From the picture, we are guessing it is corn juice.  Have you ever tried it?

Love,
H & B

Watts

Dear Friends,

One of the best things about our move to Shanghai...the Watts. Greg and Di worked with us in Romania. Having them here has made our transition much easier and way more fun!

Love,
H & B

Transport Bike

Dear Friends,

By local standards, this guy is carrying a small load on his bicycle. We are amazed at some of the things we see people carrying on bikes.

Love,
H & B

Dragon Fruit

Dear Friends,

The fruit basket in our apartment when we arrived was a welcome sight.  These two beautiful dragon fruit were inside.  As pretty as they are, no matter how hard we try, we just cannot convince ourselves that they taste good.

Love,
H & B

Tea

Dear Friends,

Sorry for the grainy shot on this one... had to quickly pull out my camera to get a shot of this guy pouring our tea.

Love,
H & B

Flower Tree

Dear Friends,

Saw this interesting "flower tree" on one of my morning runs. Sure brings some color to the park.

Love,
H

Flies Head

Dear Friends,

Saw this delicacy on a local menu.  Not sure what it is.  Maybe next time we'll give it a try.

Love,
H & B

Chair Store

Dear Friends,

Ran into this chair store on the side of the road. Not sure where the owner was.  Good thing we weren't in a buying mood.

Love,
H & B

Yuyuan Gardens

Dear Friends,

Spent a morning at the Yuyuan Gardens or, more accurately, trying to find it.  It was worthwhile. The gardens were a peaceful break from the bustling city.

Love,
H & B

Red Bean Scone

Dear Friends,

I am sure none of you will be surprised to hear that there are plenty of Starbucks in town.  The do have some unusual items. I had to give this red bean scone a try. . . pretty tasty!

Love,
H

Woks

Dear Friends,

We went to Carrefour  to do a little shopping. Guess we know where to go in case we need a wok. They had quite a selection.

Love,
H & B

Shanghai

Dear Friends,

We made it to Shanghai.  We've been getting settled in and even took a day to explore the city. Think we are really going to like it here!

Love,
H & B

Lake Huron Sunrise

Dear Friends,

Just love getting up for an early morning run in Oscoda. I get to see these beautiful sunrises over Lake Huron.

Love,
H

Robin's Nest

Dear Robin,

Sorry we didn't get to spend more time at your "nest" this summer. Hopefully we will see you more next year.

Love,
H & B

Tawas Harbor

Dear Friends,

We enjoyed our last two weeks in Michigan.  It was great not to spend everyday in the car. Instead, we rode bikes, walked around town and took the kayaks down the Ausable.   We enjoyed every minute of the fresh air and green space.

Love,
H & B